Now if Bears GM only would take Stanford's Martin in 1st round …

My advice for Phil Emery days before running his first NFL draft as Bears general manager is to address the receiver issue before anything else.

The receiver on Emery's telephone, that is. Make sure it works and everybody in the draft room knows who's dialing whom.

Nothing can damage a GM's credibility on draft day more than a botched phone call, which Jerry Angelo learned the hard way. The league voided a trade with the Ravens because the Bears' phone miscommunication caused the deal to be called in late.

The resulting furor from the Ravens marked the beginning of the end for Angelo, who, aside from once selecting Michael Haynes in the first round, never experienced a bigger draft-day embarrassment.

Suffice to say so far nobody has complained about the connection Emery has established at Halas Hall. When Brian Urlacher praised Emery recently, it suggested players have received a clear and strong message from management that used to be full of static.

"Phil Emery knows what he's doing, obviously,'' Urlacher said.

We are so used to the face of the franchise furrowing his brow at front-office moves. Next thing you know, Urlacher will be explaining why he likes news conferences and the Cover-2 defense.

A similar transformation showed in Lance Briggs, career instigator of NFL executives, who sounded like a changed man after signing a contract extension that didn't even require using his media megaphone.

"It feels like a miracle, what they have done this offseason,'' Briggs said.

When you have carried bad offenses as long as Briggs and Urlacher have, signing a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver indeed feels like the Bears equivalent of laying on of hands. But the Pro Bowl linebackers sounding as if they found football religion goes beyond the trade for game-changer Brandon Marshall.

Not even the threat of Matt Forte holding out — I will be surprised if Forte reports before Sept. 1 unless he starts listening to his conscience instead of his agent — prevents the Bears from realistically thinking playoffs. Adding Bush adequately prepared the Bears for missing Forte.

The draft will do nothing but fortify an improved Bears roster, especially since finding college talent supposedly represents what Emery does best. With three of the first 79 picks, the Bears ideally will add an offensive lineman, a pass rusher and a wide receiver — but in what order?

Headline writers and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli would love the Bears to take Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus at No. 19. Putting a young sack specialist opposite Julius Peppers would inject youth and energy to a defense needing both. Mercilus intrigued coach Lovie Smith enough for the Bears coach to put him through a private workout in Champaign.

Others might hope Alabama safety Mark Barron remains on the board, which is unlikely. Or prefer Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright, a productive, explosive threat who would complement Marshall and make Jay Cutler giddy. But in a deep wide receiver draft, the Bears still can find a polished one in the second or third rounds.

The weakest position remains offensive line — which is why I would use the Bears' first-round pick to select athletic left tackle Jonathan Martin out of Stanford.

Martin protected quarterback Andrew Luck's blind side in 37 starts over three seasons before turning pro after his junior year. He needs to add strength and offensive coordinator Mike Tice would relish coaching the finesse out of Martin, but he exemplifies the technically-sound, high-character prospect the Bears like.

Iffy incumbent J'Marcus Webb needs competition to determine whether he will be a starter or a swing tackle in the NFL. Right tackle Gabe Carimi, opposite Martin, would give the Bears a chance to support their most vulnerable and neglected position with young, promising bookends.

On Twitter the other day, former Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer responded to the Hayes signing with a cogent point Emery should remember.

"We prefer to keep about six starting linebackers on board and three or four starting offensive linemen,'' Hillenmeyer said.

Ouch. That's the toughest Hillenmeyer has been on offensive linemen in a couple years. But sometimes the truth hurts.

Drafting an impact offensive lineman such as Martin represents the right call for the Bears to make Thursday night. All Emery needs is a good line.